DND 5E (beginning date 12/6/2015)

As the players make their way through Galardrym Stronghold further, they infiltrate the meeting chambers where they discover Tad,, who was waiting for a surprise attack on the orc captain there who held the leader of The Coppercoin Company, Bunta, in captive.

After rescuing Bunta, it is discovered that Athagand and a small envoy of mystics have traveled further into the mines in pursuit of something particular while taking Yophina Hexbolt in tow.

In the mines, it quickly becomes clear that a strange ore has begun to populate the mines that resembles jet black stone with red, web-like veins running through it. Strangely, the ore seems to have grown itself from the remnants of discarded weapons and armor left within the mine from days past.

A confrontation with Athagand in the inner chamber revealed that Athagand, despite his name, was not a giant but in fact using potions of giant growth to achieve the illusion. More importantly, an unknown mystic garbed in black and red accompanied Athgand and seems to have guided his motives to attack the keep. After the defeat of Athagand, it became apparent that the mystic did not find what he was looking for in this chamber, but was it here at some point? and what of the unknown symbol marked on the ground?

In an attempt to kidnap Yophina Hexbolt due to her connections with gnomish jewel crafters, the mystic tried to flee the scene with her but was thwarted by the efforts of the party. Yophinia is safe, but the mystic managed narrow escape using a spell to meld with the mountain.

On their way out of The Misty Forest, the party encounters an old graveyard featuring a crypt adorned with the Silverkey family insignia. Intrigued by the family plot, the party investigates lightly but ultimately decides to bypass exploring the crypt and marks the location in their minds.

Upon returning to The Ornate Lodge, Kellam receives a letter from Tad stating that he and Yopinia have departed for a Dwarven mining outpost on the edge of the Sword Mountains after receiving information from an elven druid called Braeth about an attack on the outpost led by a band of raiding orcs led by an ogre called Athagand the Giant. Braeth originally requested meeting with Kellam, but due to time constraints and a past acquaintance, he trusted and gave the information to Tad. Miah Cohmpaneon decides to stay at the ornate lodge and work for awhile as a barmaid while she clears her head of recent incident.

Quraft, El, and Kellam begin their 2 day journey to the mining outpost first thing in the morning, and while traveling, Quraft begins to read more into the mysterious The King in Yellow and while stumbling through the pages, madness takes hold and he develops temporary amnesia of all information except for basic self information.

Arriving at the site, the party begins to clear their way and keep patrolling orcs at bay making their way into the mountain passages of the small keep. Through their progress, no signs of Yophinia or Tad can be seen, but they managed to rescue a dwarven prisoner by the name of Gundve who notifies the party that the rest of his clan are held captive in the audience chamber, while Athagand and the orcish officers have traveled deeper into the mines.

Sticking out of the book was a note titled to Quraft that spoke of an impending play taking place in Baldur’s Gate 15 days from now, where a maddening play devoted to the King in Yellow will take place – the party is cordially invited and the price of admission is the staff piece that was recently acquired – Signed “Lady C.”

Under the suspicion somebody was watching them, the party soon found themselves fighting a strange plant-like construct adorned with beautiful yellow flowers that fed off of the corpses of the band of thieves fought earlier. Was this a coincidence? Or perhaps a trap fabricated by the upper workings of the cult recently encountered?

A taste of madness

A year has passed since Quraft, Kellam, El, and Tad have seen each other at the small, nameless inn along the trade route by the Misty Forest. However, as fate would have it, Kellam, El, and Tad receive mysterious letters instructing them to meet at the old inn (now called The Ornate Lodge) to assist Quraft on an adventure with the prospect of treasure. Kellam, postponing his research; El, postponing his personal quest; and Tad, postponing his mapping of local giant clans decide to assist Quraft’s call for help if not just out of curiosity.

Yophinia Hexbolt, a wandering gnome jeweler, escorts her new friend, Miah Cohmpaneon, who received a letter due to her past presence at the old inn.

Once present, all of the adventurers are instructed by Roland to seek Quraft in the Misty Woods, which is about a day’s travel from the Ornate Lodge. Once there, he lets them know the secret to traveling The Misty Forest will come to them in dreams (perhaps Roland put something in the ale served? )

Triumphantly dispelling the dream riddles, the party arrives at a dilapidated tower in a glen in the woods called The Tower of the Silver Key. Quraft was waiting for them, however, a group of bandits who seemed to have some intelligence on the situation got a slight jump on the party. The leader of the small group was researched to be Mia Cohmpaneon’s sister. They were left unconscious at the scene after defeat.

Tad revealed that the area seemed to be visited frequently, and trying to get inside the tower proved to be a bit difficult as Yophinia ran into some of the tower’s natural residents taking home in the ruins. Ultimately, the party decided to use a secret route accessible through a strange device concealed in the statue of a Great Old One depiction.

The situation only became worse once the party realized the tower basement was home to a practicing cult who were in the process of ritually sacrificing the unconscious Mia Cohmpaneon, the cult’s overall intentions were unknown, but the party was able to deduce that they were summoning a creature out of concealment, and that they were following someone referred to as “Master Carcosa”.

Upon completion of the death requirement for the cult’s ritual, the dwelling demon harboring part of a shaft of a mysterious staff, is drawn out and attacks the party. The creature is ultimately slain by Tad, but when Quraft pulls out the broken staff shaft, sand begins to pour from the wound and engulf the tower basement. The party, with Miah in tow, begin their escape.

The adventure log is where you list the sessions and adventures your party has been on, but for now, we suggest doing a very light “story so far” post. Just give a brief overview of what the party has done up to this point. After each future session, create a new post detailing that night’s adventures.

One final tip: Don’t stress about making your Obsidian Portal campaign look perfect. Instead, just make it work for you and your group. If everyone is having fun, then you’re using Obsidian Portal exactly as it was designed, even if your adventure log isn’t always up to date or your characters don’t all have portrait pictures.

Starting our adventure path, the characters found themselves together, yet separate, at an unknown inn in The Sword Coast while adventuring. The characters were surprised and disrupted by an odd occurrence involving an innkeeper conducting a vendetta against Quraft in a hidden store-room. Quraft was able to overpower his captives, and the rest of the party quelled an uprising involving some corrupt patrons.

Quraft, after discovering a wanted poster, deducted that the innkeeper was after a criminal who resembled quraft, but in fast was not.

Roland, assistant to the previous innkeeper, decides to become the new innkeeper.